Debated in Parliament on 12 Sep 2022.
Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Minister for Education (a) what is the current percentage of the annual SkillsFuture funding that is left unutilised; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider allowing recipients with unused credits to contribute their credits to a pool to allow others to tap on the unused credits.
The SkillsFuture Credit scheme is part of a range of programmes and initiatives introduced by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to support individuals in their skills development and lifelong learning. As of June 2022, about 29% of eligible Singaporeans aged 25 and above have utilised their Credit.
As the SkillsFuture Credit is intended to encourage all Singaporeans to learn for life and to take personal ownership of their lifelong learning journey, credits are not transferable between individuals.
To help ensure that Singaporeans can continue to meet their training needs, the Government has provided a one-off SkillsFuture Credit top-up of $500 for Singaporeans aged 25 and above in 2020, as well as an additional $500 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career Support) for Singaporeans aged 40 to 60. Those who have expended their credits continue to benefit from substantial course fee subsidies of up to 90% that the Government provides for many courses.
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